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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · pitch · rest · hide · prune · drill · bay · object

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — a break
  10. prune — to trim
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. object — a thing
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rest — what's left
  17. object — to protest
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitch — completely
  23. object — an aim
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com